Friday, November 25, 2016

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• University Archives Image Bank now online
• Consultation sought on course evaluation draft report
• 16 Days of Activism begin today
• Take the President's Town Hall Survey and other notes

University Archives Image Bank now online

Image from the KW Record Photographic Negative Collection: aerial view of Schweitzer Farmhouse (now Grad House) and Chemical Engineering foundations. 1958

A message from Special Collections & Archives

2017 is a year of many campus celebrations! Notable anniversaries include not only the University itself (60 years), but also Co-operative Education and the faculty of Engineering (both 60 years), the Federation of Students, the faculties of Mathematics and Applied Health Sciences, including the department of Kinesiology, (all 50 years), and the Hong Kong Alumni Association (40 years).

Special Collections & Archives is pleased to share with you the University of Waterloo Archives Image Bank database. You can search more than 2,000 historic photographs from the University of Waterloo Archives and the Kitchener-Waterloo Record Photographic Negative Collection all documenting life on campus from 1957 to 1994.

We hope you enjoy this wonderful selection of images. Please contact us with any questions or if you require assistance using the University of Waterloo Archives Image Bank database. 

Thanks go to Martha Lauzon, Special Collections & Archives, and to Josh Schmiedchen, Library Technology and Facilities Services for their hard work on this project.

Consultation sought on course evaluation draft report

The Course Evaluation Project Team (CEPT) is seeking public feedback on its draft report on the implementation of a new course evaluation model.

For the past two years, the project team has reviewed the literature on course evaluation and conducted consultations across campus with representative stakeholders regarding the possible implementation of a new course evaluation model, and has published a draft report, inviting members of the University community to review it and provide feedback.

The draft project report can be found on the Associate Vice-President, Academic website.

“We ask that you review the draft report and submit your comments in response to four questions,” said a message from the Associate Vice-President, Academic Mario Coniglio distributed last week. “Your comments will be anonymous.”

The Associate Vice President, Academic established the CEPT in 2014 to explore the potential for a new, campus-wide course evaluation model, an initiative that arose from the University’s Strategic Plan commitment to enhance the quality of the educational experience of Waterloo’s undergraduate and graduate students by providing instructors with feedback about various aspects of course design and delivery.

Specifically, the project team was mandated to examine the various issues pertaining to course evaluations at Waterloo; to establish best practices concerning all aspects of course evaluations based on a review of the available literature; consider the implications of adopting changes to the status quo in relation to Policy 77, the MOA (Memorandum of Agreement with the Faculty Association), and faculty annual performance evaluations; and assess the feasibility of designing a common institutional survey instrument, with customizable sections at the Faculty, department, or instructor level.

  The consultation period will extend to December 31, 2016 after which the comments will be analyzed and revisions made to the report as appropriate. The project team will then submit a revised report to the Vice President, Academic and Provost for a decision about next steps.

16 Days of Activism begin today

Today is Day One of 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence – a global campaign initiated by UN Women to remind all citizens that they can take actions in their everyday lives to stop gender-based violence.

Here on campus #16daysUW launches our second annual campaign organized and presented by a growing group of faculty, staff and students from across campus.

Each year, 16 Days begins on November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, and concludes on December 10, International Human Rights Day. In Canada, 16 Days includes the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women on December 6. 

More than 16 actions and events are planned on campus, including:

• Safe on Campus? – a large laminated map of campus and area that will be installed in various campus buildings, such as the SLC and Dana Porter Library, inviting students and others to mark the map with red, yellow, and green dots and comments indicating areas where they feel unsafe, possibly unsafe, and safe. Information from Safe on Campus? last year was used by the Safety Office to help prioritize lighting upgrades.
• Fit to Survive – a site specific performance today at 5pm by students in a Theatre and Performance course focused on collaborative performance practices that aim to arrest rape culture. The performance starts in the Hagey Hall Hib and moves outdoors to Parking Lot C.
• Becoming a Better Man – three workshops sponsored by HeForShe that offer male students interactive exercises and tools to become better versions of themselves. 

Visit uwaterloo.ca/16-days for full programming and join the actions on campus.

Watch highlights from the #16daysUW 2015 campaign:

Take the President's Town Hall Survey and other notes

If you attended Tuesday's President's Town Hall Meeting (or even if you chose not to attend) please take a few minutes to fill out the President's Town Hall survey. 

The annual President's Town Hall meetings are an opportunity for the university community to hear directly from the president and senior leaders, and engage in a discussion on matters that are important to the University. University Communications wishes to ensure that these events continue to meet the needs of the University community.

Whether you attended the President's Town Hall or not, your feedback on the meeting's format and content is greatly appreciated, and your ideas on how to enhance future President's Town Hall meetings is welcome.

To accommodate students preparing for exams, the Library will be extending its hours from Sunday November 27 to Thursday December 22.

Davis will be opened 24 hours except closed Sundays from 2am to 8am. Porter will be opened 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. every day.

During this time:

• Service desks and related services will be closed at regular times (Porter at 11:00 p.m. and Davis at midnight).
• On the last day of extended hours December 22^nd, Porter will close at 11:00 p.m. and Davis will close at midnight.
• At Davis, there will be attendants present for security purposes. Staff will monitor for noise, cell phone use, and hot foods that are not permitted in the library.